Regenerative medicine is a promising approach for the repair of bone deficiencies caused by trauma, degenerative diseases, and tumors. In the adult and elderly patient populations, however, significant changes in the multipotency of endogenous stem cells may hinder endogenous bone repair.
Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma 2 (PPARγ2) has been shown to activate adipogenic and suppress osteogenic differentiation pathways in aged mice, limiting the potential effectiveness of regenerative treatments that involve endogenous and exogenous mesenchymal stem cells in bone tissue repair.
Alternative strategies useful for bone repair are therefore needed, particularly in the adult or elderly patient populations.